There has been a noticeable rise in designers exploring alternative ways to express death and grieving. Lisa Merk of Germany, for one, presented Tactile Perception Urns at the Stockholm Furniture Fair this year. The pebble-shaped vessels can be filled with ashes and held onto for emotional comfort. Mourners can either keep the mini-urns or return them for burial. Made from untreated wood, they will naturally decompose once buried, making them a sustainable alternative to common burial habits.

By removing the hands from the face of her blonde and brunette Lash clocks, French artist Bina Baitel has put a meditative spin on the passing of time. An internal mechanism gently and calmly pushes fibre lashes apart to denote hours and minutes. The clocks are now on view at the Grand-Hornu museum in Belgium.

Mayfield Robotics’ home robot Kuri combines anthropomorphic features with some impressive robotics. A companion and assistant, he (or is it she?) can respond to questions with blinking eyes and head movements, all the while monitoring home security, streaming music or telling a bedtime story.